OSSTF/FEESO to suspend sanctions indefinitely

TORONTO, ON – March 18, 2020 — The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) is immediately suspending all strike sanctions indefinitely. This includes sanctions that were part of a limited withdrawal of administrative services that has been in place since November 26, 2019.

OSSTF/FEESO had previously announced that rotating full withdrawals of services would be suspended until March 27. That suspension is now also indefinite.

“Last week, we wrote to the Ministry of Education, and to the associations representing Ontario’s school boards, to offer our full cooperation and support in any efforts that will help to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus,” said OSSTF/FEESO President Harvey Bischof. “We also advised local OSSTF/FEESO leaders that we wished to be flexible in the application of administrative sanctions in any circumstances where those sanctions may hinder measures to counter the pandemic.”

“Today, out of an abundance of caution, and to avoid any potential for miscommunication, we are immediately suspending all strike sanctions indefinitely,” continued Bischof. “Our administrative sanctions have always targeted the government and the school boards, with virtually no impact on student learning. Under these extraordinary circumstances, however, we want to ensure that there are no impediments to the efforts of our members to assist school boards or the government in fighting the spread of COVID-19. At this time, I urge Minister Lecce to consult with OSSTF/FEESO, the voice of front-line workers, before making or implementing further plans for the education systems in which our members work.”

“We are enormously proud of the sustained campaign OSSTF/FEESO members have undertaken over many months to defend publicly-funded education in Ontario. Those efforts have been, indisputably, in the best interests of both our students and the long-term health of public education in Ontario. For the time being, however, we believe it is necessary to turn our full attention to the immediate crisis at hand,” concluded Bischof.

OSSTF/FEESO, founded in 1919, has over 60,000 members across Ontario. They include public high school teachers, occasional teachers, educational assistants, continuing education teachers and instructors, early childhood educators, psychologists, secretaries, speech-language pathologists, social workers, plant support personnel, university support staff, and many others in education.